Automatic sample cutting machine



June 27, 1944. T. JORDAN AUTOMATIC SAMPLE CUTTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed Dec. 31, 1940 wms' Jo'raaw June 27, 1944. T. JORDAN AUTOMATICSAMPLE CUTTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 51, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 51mmmomaselrdaza Patented June 27, 1944 U STA ES c-FF C I AUTo uArIo p. I v,

Thomas Jame Salt a-1 m city, Utah Y Application December 31, 1940,SerialNo, S-Claims. 1.01. 7341) This invention relates to an improvedauto matic sample cutting machine and seeks, among other objects, toprovide a machine-of this character which'will be operative forautomatically taking continuous samples of a product from a continuousproduct flow during manufacture of concentrates, flour, sugar, salt,cement; or the like, or in the reduction of ore In sample cuttingmachines for the purposes above mentioned a principal requirement foraccuracy is that the cutter, through which the sample must pass, shallhave uniform motion as it travels through the en'tire'cross section ofthe product stream. Another requirement for accu-'' racy is that thecutter shall 'clear' the: product stream by an adequate margin at theend of each stroke of said cutter. Still another requirement is that thespeed of the cutter, relativeto the speed of the product stream, may bereadily susceptible of adjustment, within limits, so that a definiteportion or fraction of the entire product may be withdrawn for sampling.The degree of accuracy of the machine will be determined by the extentto which the sample taken by the machine is truly representative, byqualitative analysis, of the entire product. 4

Another object of the invention is, therefore, to

provide an automatic sample cutting machine which will fulfill therequirements for accuracy hereinbefore set forth in a highly efficientmanner. l A further object of the invention isto provide an automaticsample cutting machinewhich will be operated by, the same source ofpower that causes flow of the stream of material or product to besampled, with the result that maximum reliability, flexibility, economyand simplicity will be realized. 1

Still another object vide a machine of the be used in connection variouswidths. e

A further object of the invention is to provide an automatic samplecutting machine having improved means for imparting motion to thesamplecar and cutter employed. 1

And a still further object of the invention'is to provide an automaticsample cutting machine wherein an improved and highly eflicient samplecar and cutter are employed.

Other objects of the invention, not mentioned hereinbefore, will becomeapparent during the course of the following description. i

In the accompanying drawings:

of the-invention is to pro-.- type set forth which may with productstreams of Figure l is a top plan view of sample cutting machine.

Figure 2' is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view.

Figure 4 is alsoa diagrammatic view.

In the drawings,like numerals of reference designate like parts. Byreferring to the drawings, it will be seen-that my improved automaticsample cutting machine comprises two separate units, i. e'., a samplecar and cutter, and a unit including shifting mechanism forimpartingjreciprocatory movement to the car and cutter; For the sake ofconvenience, the cargand cutter will first be described. i l l Thesample car and cutter includes a track having spaced rails l which" arepositione'd'z-to pass beneath the upper, or discharge end, of a conveyor2, said conveyor. being adapted for discharging concentrates, ores, orthe like. The discharge flow will, for convenience, be hereinafterdesignated as the product and indicated by the numeral 3. The rails are,of coursepdisposed at substantially-right angles to the axis of thedischarge conveyor and extend laterally with respect to the front ofsaid conveyor. The rails are formed of'channel iron or are of standardrail design.'

The rails I movably support the samplecar and cutter in such a mannerthat said sample car and cutter may be shifted back and forth beneaththe conveyor'Z. The sample car and cutter unit is indicated generally at4. The-car and "cutter 4 includes a. frame 5 which is substantiallyrectangular in shape. The frame 5 carries an axle 6 at each end, andjournaled on the ends of the axles exteriorly of the frame 5 are flangedwheels I which are adapted'to 'roll on the rails "-l. The frame 5includes front and rear rails 8 and 9 respectively, said rails beingconnected by side rails l0 and I I. v

The sample car and cutter includes a cutter I2 which extends diagonallywith respect to the frame. The cutter I2 is composed of substantiallyL-shaped cutter elements I 3 and H! which are arranged in parallelspaced relation to each other and have upstanding 'fianges l5. Morespecifically, the cutter l2 extends fromthe side rail [0, near the rearrail 9, to the side rail ll near the front rail 8. This particularmounting for the cutter is highly important and will be discussed in mordetail hereinafter. Connected with the cutter is a sample dischargechute l6, said chute extending beneath the cutter throughout its entirelength and having its body positioned so that samples of the productflow 3 will my automatic provided with a :relatively'large be led to oneside of the flow for convenient withdrawal.

The shifting mechanism for imparting reciprocatory movement to thesample car and cutter will now be described. For the sake of convenienceand for reasons which will become apparent later in the description, Iwill refer hereinafter to said shifting mechanism as a motiontransformer. The motion transformer is shown generally at H andincludesa substantially rectangular case I8, said case having a bottom wall l9,end walls 20 and 2|, and side walls 22 and 23. Mounting flanges 24 arenear their corresponding means for anchoring the a suitable support.surface has been shown motion transformer to for the reason that saidsurface will vary in contour and rformation with different applicationsof the invention.

The case I8 provides means for carrying the shifting mechanism proper.More specifically, a drive shaft 25 is mounted on t'he' wall'Z-Znea'rone end thereof andsubstantially medially of' the height of the case.The :drive shaft 25 carries a pulley 26 onits f-ree end and-said pulleyis adapted for rotatable connection with a source of power, preferablythe source of power which drives the conveyor 2. If desired, a direct.connection may be made between the'pulley 2'61'and a pulley ontheconveyor. The shaft .25 .is preferably' formed'tof cold rolled steeland is journaled in a'bearin'g 21 on the wall 22. The bearing'2-I is, ofcourse, lined with 'bronZeLor babbitt, in the conventional manner. .Asprocket wheel 281s mounted on the inner "end' of the shaft'25 withinthecase 18. With further reference "to the pulley 26, .itshould beunderstood that,iif desired, a sprocket wheel, pinion, or "V epulley"may be substituted for said pulley-r26. Mounted on the shaft '25 isantoi'l'iring 29, the oil ring-10f course, iservingthe purpose :oflubricating the bearingl'l and the shaft :25;- Positioned within thecase thereof, iis an adjusting unit 3|].

is, the wan 22 The. adjusting unit includes :a guide bar 3| mounted inparallel 1 spaced relation to :the wall "22, medially of the height ofsaid wall, by means of blocks '33 and 34. An adjusting screw 35 aextendsthroughout the entirerlength rof theguidesbar 3| and is 'journaled forrotative movement.

ipitch thread. The adjusting screw extends through one end of the bar 3|and "said projecting end is squared, as shown "at 35, to receive awrench or other tool. screw extends through a sprocket mounting block3.1, said sprocket mounting. block being shiftablelong'itudinally-withinthe confines of the bar 3| for'a purposeto be set forth hereinafter. Thesprocket mounting block 31 hasan integral stub shaft 38, shown in dottedlines in Figure 1, and mounted "to rotate on this'stub shaft is an idler:sprocket 'wheel 39. An 'oil ring 4|] surrounds "the hub of the-wheel 39and assures thorough lubrication. Atnutfl" 'is'screwed into the block 3]:and provides means for locking the blockiin adjustediposition.

-Itlshould:beunderstood that the sprocket wheel 28 and the sprocketwheel 39 aremounte'd in longitudinal alinementiin the case l8. Moreover,as will :be :seen, the sprocket wheels 28 and 39 aredisposedfsubstantially medially of the height and width of the case.

Trained about the sprockets 328 and 39 is a sprocket chain 4|, saidsprocket chain being of No particular supporting The adjusting screw is.7

The adjusting a carried on the side walls lower ends and provide] '1-5'ing parts.

. dicated at 55 and the 55, 44 and the sample-car -lar in shape.

conventional formation, but having removable links in order that saidchain may be lengthened or shortened, by the addition or removal of suchlinks. The links of the chain 4| are indicated at 42 and are connectedto each other by means of pins 43. However, in lieu of one of the pins43, I provide a driving pin 44 which extends laterally toward the wall'23. A roller 45 is carried on the driving pin 44 and said roller isshiftable in the slot 46 of a drivinghead 41. As 'best seen in Figure 2,the drivinghead 41 is vertically disposed in the case and issubstantially rectangu- The driving head carries a roller at its lowerend, said roller being mounted on abolt 49 which projects laterally fromthe driving .head. The roller 48 is engageable with a trackifl mountedon the bottom wall l9 and extends longitudinally thereof for a distanceof substantially three-fourths its length.

The driving head 41 is connected with the sample, rear and cutter by aconnecting rod 51, said connecting rod extending through a bearing 52 intheend wall =2| of the case, said bearing -:being lined with ba'bhittor'bronze. .The connecting rod is operatively-connected with the samplecar and cutter by "means of a coupling. 53'which ismounted on the rail 9substantially medially thereof. At its inner end, the connecting rod 5|-is connected to the driving head, substantially medially of its height,:by meansof an integralcoupling 54.

Thecase 18 .is normally filled with lubricant to the depth indicated by:the dotted lines in Figure 2. Also, a cover ,is:-prefera'b1y placedupon the .case in .order to seal the mechanism and thus prevent entry'of-dirtor the'like.

; .The .cover .abovementioned is preferably made in .two :parts, aninner cover of'glass being provided with .acontinuous dust and oil tightjoint between .it and the top of the case. The glass cover permitsconvenient inspection of the mov- The outer cover is hinged and is-madeof rugged .steel construction affording protection for the inner glassrcov'er. Theouter cover .is ininner .cover at 56. These covers .areshown .fragmentarily, it being considered unnecessary toshowthem infurther detail.

The operation of the invention isas follows. For the sake ofsimplicity,,letit beassumed that, in'Figure 2, thelines K0 and LN areperpendicu lar lines through the sections of sprocket wheels 28 and 39respectively. The line PM is a horizontal line drawn through the samesections. Rotary motion at a constant speed is applied to the shaft 25from .an external source of power. Preferably, the source of power isthe same as thatwhich drives the conveyor 2. The direction of rotationis asindicated by the arrow .on the sprocket wheel 28. With constantrevolutions per unit of time on the driving sprocket wheel '28, the pin44 will make complete successive circuits through the points KLMNO andP. From K to L the horizontal displacement of the pin 44 and, andtherefore, of the rod El and the sample car and cutter 4, will haveuniform motion. Therefore, any portion of the displacement from K to Lmay be used for, let it be assumed, the forward stroke of the cutter.From L to M the horizontal displacement of the pin 44 will havesmoothdeceleration. At M, obviously, the horizontal displacement of thepin 44 will be zero. from M to N the horizontal displacement of thedriving pin will have smooth acceleration and, of course,'thehorizontal'motion-of the pin and cutter will be reversed.

pin 44 will have uniform motion Therefore, movements of the pin- :from Nto will be used 'for the return stroke of the'cutterg- As in the case ofmovement from L'to M, the"move'ment from O to P will-eifect smoothdeceleration of the pin- 44. -At P'thehor'izontal displacement of thepin' :andfof course, the sample car and cutter, will "be again zero.From P'to K the horizontal displacement will 'be'again reversed indirection and willhave smooth acceleration; At K- the driving pin hasmade one complete circuit and the sample car and cutter has made oneforward and one return stroke through the product stream. As long asrotary motion is applied to the shaft 25, the motion transformer willfunction to produce forward and return strokes of the sample car andcutter.

specifically, it is believed that, in the construction set forth, theideal medium for actuating the sample car and cutter in a sample cuttingmachine is provided, both from a mechanical stand point and from ametallurgical or other standpoint, depending upon the nature of theproduct to be sampled. First, the highly essential characteristic ofuniform motion of the sample car and cutter as it traverses the productstream, is positively and simply obtained. This contrasts with othersystems which depend upon some separate source of power, electric orhydraulic, for example. This feature greatly increases the dependability of my sample cutting machine. Secoperation and long lifeThird, as hereinbefore set forth,

my motion transformer affords smooth, gradual acceleration at thebeginning of each stroke and smooth. gradual deceleration to zero at theend of each stroke. The advantage for this construction is that severestrains on all parts of the apparatus will be eliminated. My improvedmotion transformer is extremely flexible in use. That is to say, byremoving or adding, as the case may require. one or more links of theroller chain, the length of the stroke may be quickly and convenientlychanged to meet the mechanical and metallurgical conditions of anysampling station throughout any one particular plant. It should beunderstood, of course, that when links are added to or removed from thesprocket chain 42, the sprocket 39 must be adjusted along the guide bar3|, which adjustment is accomplished by rotating the screw 35. Themotion transformer has another particularly meritorious feature in thatit is of compact design. That is to say, all moving parts are containedin an enclosing case. The parts are completely and effectivelyselflubricating,

For the purpose of discussing the operation of the sample car andcutter, it will be assumed that the machine is to be used for thesampling of ores. As heretofore stated, however, my improved automaticsampling machine may be used just as effectively in any continuousprocess plant where automatic sampling of the product is desired. In mysample cutting machine, the sarnple car, which mechanically supports thecutter I2 and the chute I6, is so located that the reciprocating motionof the car on the track has a direction which is at right angles to thedirection of motion of the ore stream as it moves with the atA in Figure3.

conveyor. In other words,-the cutter'tr-averses 'the width of theoreistream rather than the thickness thereof. For purposes-of clarity,let it be assumed for the-moment that the cutter itself islocatedwith-its 'axis at rightangles to the track. Looking 'at'the face of theorestream as 'it'falls from' the conveyor to the sample cutter, thesegment of ore which passes through the cutter will have approximatelythe shape shown With the parallel direction Of-thecutter, anapproximat'erelative'segment 'of ore'*cut by the cutter would appear asshown at' B in Fig'ure 4. From a metallurgical point of view, it isimportant to note the distinction between the ex amples because thesegment of ore cut by the machine of my invention is more trulyrepresentative of the entire shipment of ore. This claim is based on thewell known fact that the fine particles in a shipment of ore will showmaterial differences in assay values from the assay values of a largeboulder in the same shipment. As the original fine particles in the oreand the particles resulting from the crushing of large rock are fed ontothe conveyor carrying the resulting product to the sample cuttingmachine, the cross section of the ore stream composed of the crushedboulder particles alone, or in the majority, is not likely to beapproximately close to'a true representation of an entire shipment. ofore cut by my improved and also particles which were parts of a boulder.

The second improvement in the sample car and cutter is obtained byplacing the axis of the cutter opening in an angular position withrespect to the product stream as it moves forwardly on the conveyor 2.In my machine, this angular displacement is approximately fortyfivedegrees because I consider this position to give the optimum resultsfrom a metallurgical standpoint. To prove that this angular position ofthe cutter will still further make the segment of ore more trulyrepresentative of the whole, reasoning identical with that discussed inconnection with the cross motion of the cutter will hold.

It is believed that the construction, operation and advantages of myinvention will be fully understood from the foregoing description.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In an automatic sampling machine, a sample car. a sampling chutecarried by the car, spaced diagonally disposed cutters mounted on thecar and forming the entrance to the sampling chute for movementdiagonally through the path of a product flow, and means for impartingreciprocatory movement to the sample car.

2. In an automatic sampling machine, a track disposed beneath aconveyor, a sample car mounted for travel on the track and provided witha sampling chute, a sample cutter mounted on the car and includingspaced cutter elements respect to the chute entrance whereby the cutterelements will be disposed at an angle with respect stream, and means formoving the sample car and cutter back and forth through the productstream.

3. In a sampling machine as recited in claim 2; wherein the sample caris provided with a frame :and :a :chute ,depends therefrom for leading asample of the product stream to a position for convenient withdrawal.

4. In an automatic sampling machine, a sample car provided with asampling chute, spaced cutters mounted-on the car over the entrance tosaid chute for removing a sample from a product stream, said-cuttersbeing disposed at an angle to the chute entrance for assuring removal ofa sample which will be representative of the product stream, amotiontransformer, means operatively connecting the motion transformerwith the-sample car, and'means for imparting rotative movement to themotion transformer, :said motion transformer imparting 'reoiprocatorymovement to the sample car and cutter.

5. In an automatic samplingmachine; asample car including a. .frame anddepending sampling chute, spaced cutters mounted on the frame over theentrance to the sampling chute, saidcutters being disposed at an angleof substantially fortyfive degrees with respect to the length of thesample car and at substantially a right angle with respect to thefiow'of a product stream.

THOMAS JORDAN.

